The United States of Tech: The 10 Biggest Software Innovations of the 2000s

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According to a new Jeep commercial, America has "always been a nation of builders." Which is true. Though, for some reason, people don't believe America makes much of anything anymore. In our 2010 Style and Design package, we reminded people that we do still make shit, it's just no longer made of steel and iron core—now, it's made of ones and zeroes. We've always held top billing when it came to tech innovation, but over the past 10 years, America has completely reigned supreme over the software world, regularly creating whole markets or vastly improving dying ones. Not buying it? Check out the list below of the 10 biggest software innovations to come out of the USA over the past 10 years...

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GoogleLAUNCHED: 1998CONTRIBUTION: Though Google was founded just before the aughts, it didn't really pop off until after the turn of the century, when it more or less revolutionized the way people use and navigate the Internet.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button actually costs Google about $110 million a year in lost revenue.

FacebookLAUNCHED: 2004CONTRIBUTION: Brought the entire spectrum of the social experience online, and ruined most of Generation Y's chances of finding legitimate employment.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: The "Facebook Guy"—who originally appeared as the site's logo prior to 2007—was actually a manipulated photo of Al Pacino.

TwitterLAUNCHED: 2006CONTRIBUTION: Changed the way people communicate and share ideas on the web: in 140 characters or less.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: If you were to print out the entire contents of Twitter, it would cover over 350 million sheets of paper.

MyspaceLAUNCHED: 2003CONTRIBUTION: Brought social networking to the mainstream and gave everyone the ability to easily build gaudy personal pages, while giving every aspiring musician an outlet for their music.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: Despite being overtaken by Facebook, Myspace still brings in $385 million a year.

iTunesLAUNCHED: 2001CONTRIBUTION: Altered the landscape of the music industry, and firmly established Steve Jobs as an evil genius.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: There's an unwritten rule at iTunes that allows you to re-download your music if you ever lose your library—all you have to do is call Apple and tell them you've lost your music in a Mac-to-Mac transfer, and they'll allow you to download all the songs you've previously purchased for free.

FireFoxLAUNCHED: 2004CONTRIBUTION: Made most people realize, "Damn, Internet Explorer is wack!" for the very first time.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: The FireFox logo was partly inspired by an illustration from designer Daniel Burka's childhood Bible.

YouTubeLAUNCHED: 2005CONTRIBUTION: Simplified the process of uploading and sharing videos online, and simultaneously slowed productivity in workplaces across America.LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Justin Bieber's "Baby" is the most-watched video on YouTube. We have officially failed as a society.

WikipediaLAUNCHED: 2001CONTRIBUTION: Provided millions of lazy college students with a quick and easy place to plagiarize from.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: The term "wiki" comes from the Wiki Wiki—meaning "very quick"—bus system in Hawaii.

iOSLAUNCHED: 2007CONTRIBUTION: Singlehandedly shook up the telecommunications market, and raised the bar of what's possible with smartphone software development.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: Before June of this year, iOS was known by the more straightforward name of "iPhone OS."

Xbox LiveLAUNCHED: 2002CONTRIBUTION: Made it possible to play Call of Duty and connect with 30-year-old men who still live in their mom's basement.LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: In its first seven years, users spent more than 17 billion hours on Xbox Live—more than 2 hours for every person on the planet.

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